It is known to inflate an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device to help protect a vehicle occupant upon the occurrence of an event such as a vehicle collision or rollover. One particular type of inflatable vehicle occupant protection device is an inflatable driver or passenger air bag that is inflatable between the occupant and an instrument panel and/or steering wheel of the vehicle. Another type of inflatable vehicle occupant protection device is an inflatable side curtain that inflates away from the vehicle roof to a position between the vehicle occupant and a side structure of the vehicle. Other known types of inflatable vehicle occupant protection devices include seat-mounted side impact air bags, inflatable knee bolsters, and inflatable seat belts. The known inflatable vehicle occupant protection devices are inflated from a deflated condition by inflation fluid provided by an inflator.
Another type of inflatable vehicle occupant protection device is an inflatable windshield curtain. Windshield curtains are inflatable away from the vehicle roof to a position between the vehicle occupant and a windshield and instrument panel of the vehicle. Windshield curtains are typically constructed of overlying panels of material that are interconnected with each other to define an inflatable volume of the curtain. Connections interconnect the overlying panels along a periphery of the curtain and may also interconnect the panels within the periphery to define inflatable chambers of the curtain. The shape and dimensions of the windshield curtain are thus defined by the shape and spacing of the connections that interconnect the overlying panels of the curtain.